When a vehicle is driven or occupied under adverse, life-threatening circumstances, such as when there is a potential threat of gunfire, the driver and occupants would feel safer if the vehicle provided protection against bullets and other types of ballistic projectiles. This is particularly true for law enforcement personnel, who put their lives on the line essentially every working day.
However, standard issue police vehicles typically provide no ballistic protection beyond the sheet metal and metal structure used in ordinary commercial vehicles. For vehicles that are afforded some additional degree of ballistic protection, the fortification process requires modification of the vehicle for emplacement of ballistic panels. It is understood that “soft ballistic panels,” such as soft armor and flexible KEVLAR®, are not ideal for such applications.
Many commercially available ballistic-resistant panels adapted for automotive use are single-piece, flat panels that cover a significant portion of the visible regions of an automotive door body. Installation of the ballistic-resistant panels may thus require door modification, or complete removal of the interior door trim panels. This modification may result in the limiting or elimination of the functions of certain automotive electronics, such as, for example, speakers, door-mounted controls, and door-mounted electric rear-view mirror controls. What is needed is a method of reinforcing automotive door panels without interfering with the electrical components of the doors, and without interfering with the mechanical components of the doors, such as windows, release mechanisms, and side-impact air bags.